


Christmas with the Zimmermanns

by meandmybrokenfeels



Series: NaNoWriMo 2016 One-Shot Collection [14]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Parents, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-09-02 07:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8658031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meandmybrokenfeels/pseuds/meandmybrokenfeels
Summary: Jack and Bitty spend Christmas in Montreal with Bob and Alicia.





	

“Jack Laurent Zimmermann, you did _not_.”

Jack narrowly avoided the batter-covered spoon being waved in his face. “Hey, don’t blame me. I’m just the messenger.”

“I cannot believe that your mother would ask me to come up for Christmas without at least a bit of your influence,” Bitty accused him, bringing the wooden spoon back to the bowl in front of him.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “This was all her, I promise.”

Bitty sighed. “But now what do I do? I’ll have to tell Mama and Coach that I won’t be home, I’ll definitely have to bring a pie or two, and what on earth am I going to wear, and-”

“Bits, calm down,” said Jack, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s just an invitation. No one’s forcing you to accept it.”

Bitty looked as though Jack had just suggested he cut down on the butter in his pastries. “Well I’ll be damned if I don’t go now,” he declared, putting his hands on his hips. 

Jack laughed. “It’ll be fun. I know you’ll have a great time. Besides, it’s not like you’re meeting them for the first time.”

“First of all, I’ve only seen your mother in passing at your graduation. And second of all, this will be my first time meeting them as your boyfriend. It’s a slightly different introduction from when I first met Bob.”

Jack glanced away, remembering what had happened on that day. “He was congratulating you on a game well played.”

“I was just a freshman on your college team back then. I haven’t seen them in real life since graduation, and now I’m supposed to show up at their home for Christmas dinner as their son’s date?”

“You know I told them about us. They’re happy about it! That’s why they want you to come.”

Bitty chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “Okay. But there's still the matter of what I'm bringing to dinner.”

Jack grinned and kissed him on the forehead. “I'm sure whatever you decide will be perfect.”

~~~

Bitty ran around his room at the Haus, placing things he might need in Montreal in a suitcase and things to be shipped to Georgia in a large box. Mama Bittle had reluctantly agreed to be away from her baby for the Christmas, provided that he come home as soon as possible once the next semester ended. Most of the things he needed had already found a home at Jack’s apartment, so there wasn't much more to grab. 

Jack stood in the doorway, holding Bitty’s favorite oven mitts and pie tins. “So, Maman says they’ve got a room ready for you, and they’re getting the rest of the ingredients for the pie right now.”

Bitty put his hands on his hips. “Jack! Don’t tell me they’re going out of their way even more to get me ingredients. I was planning on getting them myself when we got there.”

“They were happy to. She said she watched your video over and over again to make sure she got exactly the right things,” he smiled.

“Oh, dear. Now I really have to thank them.” Bitty smacked his forehead. “Presents. I forgot to get presents for them. How could I forget presents. It’s Christmas. Oh Lord, the flight is tomorrow, it’s too late to order anything online, and the stores will all be picked over, what am I going to do for presents? I can’t show up at their home empty handed!”

“Calm down, it’ll be okay,” Jack said softly. “You don’t have to get them anything. They really just want to get to know you.”

After no less than three additional panicked realizations, Bitty was finally ready. The next day saw the pair at the airport bright and early, bags in hand and ready to go. The four-hour flight was spent alternating between napping and listening to music until, finally, they arrived in Montreal. 

Bob and Alicia Zimmermann were waiting for them once they'd gone through customs and retrieved their luggage. Jack grinned and went up to greet them, chattering in French, while Bitty hung back behind him a bit. 

“Eric!” Alicia said warmly, bringing him into the conversation. “It's so good to have you here.”

Bitty went to shake her hand but was pulled into a hug. “Thank you so much for inviting me,” he said once released. 

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all!” she insisted. “Now, you boys hurry into the car and we’ll get this show on the road!”

He followed the family to their car, wracking his brain for any knowledge of French that might come in handy for translating. All he could think of were the nights when he was _supposed_ to be studying with Jack, but that’s never how the night ended. Shaking his head to clear it, he followed his boyfriend into the backseat. Jack reached over, out of sight of his parents, and squeezed Bitty’s hand reassuringly. They smiled softly at each other, and Bitty knew it was going to be okay.

~~~

“Jack, take Eric up to his room,” Alicia instructed when they entered the house.

“Oui, Maman,” Jack answered, dutifully grabbing Bitty’s bags to take up the stairs. Bitty followed, admiring both the interior of the home and the lovely view of Jack from behind. 

“So, this one will be yours,” Jack said, pointing, “and this one is mine.” He pointed to the door immediately to the right. “My parents’ room is on another floor.”

“So, does that mean…” Bitty trailed off, stepping closer.

Jack smirked. “It means I can do this.” He slowly ran his fingers down Bitty’s arm before leaning down and kissing him softly.

Bitty relaxed into the kiss, but it didn’t last nearly long enough. Jack laughed at his little pout. “We’d better head down. There’s plenty to do.”

He gave in and the pair headed back down to the kitchen, where Alicia had already gone ahead and set out the necessary ingredients for him. “You don’t have to start baking right away,” she said upon seeing the two of them. “Sit down, relax. There’s plenty of time.”

“If it’s all the same to you,” Bitty said, “I’d much rather get started now. It needs time to cool, and I find baking to be incredibly relaxing.”

“Well then, go right ahead,” she smiled, gesturing to everything she had set up. “Everything else has been made or can be done quickly later, so you’ve got the kitchen to yourself. Jack can help you find whatever you need. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work to finish up in the office.” She took off down the hall, disappearing into a room around the corner.

Bitty looked over the counter in front of him and clapped his hands together, grinning. “Let's get started.”

He quickly began on the filling, putting Jack to work on the crust. Their easy collaboration brought back memories of the day he’d first fallen in love--seeing Jack dusted with flour and sunlight, trying his best to make the pie look just right.

Bitty placed a hand on Jack’s arm, making him pause what he was doing to look over. “Bits, what-”

Jack’s question was cut off by a soft kiss. Bitty reveled in the fact that he was allowed to do this now, that he could kiss this beautiful boy whenever he wanted to--well, if they were alone. Baby steps.

He pulled away and smiled. “What was that for?” Jack asked, smiling back at him. 

Bitty shrugged. “You look good in the kitchen.”

Jack swooped down to peck him on the cheek and whisper in his ear. “Not nearly as good as you do.”

The pair did eventually finish baking, only ending up with minimal amounts of flour and sugar on their clothes and faces. As they set the pie on the counter to cool, Jack dropped by the office to tell his mother that the kitchen was free for her. Bitty offered to help her with the rest of the meal, but she insisted that he and Jack go upstairs. 

“You two don’t get to see each other often enough, what with Jack off in Providence! Besides, I want this to be a surprise.” She winked as she ushered the two of them back towards the stairs.

As for what occurred once they were out of her sight, she remained blissfully unaware.

~~~

“Boys! Dinner’s ready! Come on down!”

Jack and Bitty untangled their limbs and stretched, heading downstairs to be greeted by Alicia and Bob’s grins. “Sit down, boys,” Bob said, gesturing to the place settings at the table.

“I’m usually not much of a cook, but I had an excellent instructor for these dishes,” Alicia smiled, setting the food on the table.

“She’s spent the last couple of weeks testing these recipes,” Bob added. “And guess who had to eat the rejects.”

Alicia swatted him gently with the oven mitt she was holding. “Oh, hush. They weren’t that bad.”

Bitty sniffed the delicious aroma and detected something familiar. “Is that…”

“I felt bad for taking you away from your family for the holiday, so I wanted to do my best to make you feel at home,” she explained.

An overwhelming feeling of homesickness took him over. Bitty thought he would be fine missing one Christmas Eve dinner, but now that he was gone, his heart began to hurt. He felt himself tearing up but forced himself to smile. “Thank you. That was incredibly thoughtful.”

He sat down next to Jack, quickly using his napkin to dab at his eyes and praying no one would mention it. His boyfriend reached over and placed a hand on his knee, effectively calming him for a bit.

Alicia, bless her, quickly moved on. “Bob, could you please say grace?”

“Sure,” Bob agreed, and the group joined hands around the table, closing their eyes. “Lord, thank you that we have the chance to be here together, and thank you especially for Eric. We’re so happy that Jack has found him, and wish the two of them nothing but the best. Bless this meal, and this family. Amen.”

“Amen,” the rest of them mumbled in unison, unclasping their hands. 

They all dug in. Alicia had done a wonderful job--”I helped, too!” Bob insisted--and seconds were had all around. Each of them was offered more, but had to decline. “I needed save room for this special dessert,” Bob declared, rising to fetch the pie Bitty and Jack had made that afternoon. Bitty followed, grabbing the necessary utensils and plates to give everyone a slice.

The parents were served first, then Jack, then himself. Bob and Alicia had never tasted anything he’d made, and their reactions were priceless. “This is fantastic!” Alicia raved. “What was it called, again?”

“Maple apple. It’s Jack’s favorite,” Bitty explained.

“I can see why,” Bob commented, already halfway done with his piece. 

“Everything Bittle makes is amazing,” Jack said. “He thinks that liking this one makes me a Canadian stereotype.”

Bob swallowed and pointed his fork at his son. “Hey, maple is delicious no matter where you’re from.”

Time was forgotten as the bunch laughed and shared stories, each new tale sparking the memory of another until one was interrupted by a yawn. 

Alicia glanced at the clock. “Good heavens, so late already? You kids had better get to sleep.”

“I’ll help with the dishes,” Bitty offered, standing.

“Oh, nonsense. Bob and I will take care of it,” she insisted.

Bob shooed him away. “We’ve got this under control. You’re our guest.”

“Oh, alrighty then,” Bitty agreed, feeling a bit useless, before being ushered upstairs by Jack’s strong hand on his lower back.

They parted ways to change into pajamas, and then Bitty went to knock on Jack’s door.

“Come in.”

He pushed it open and saw Jack in a pair of sweats, pulling a t-shirt over his head. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jack stood there looking at him for a moment. “Is everything okay?”

Instead of answering, he quickly crossed the room and wrapped his boyfriend into a hug. “I love you,” he whispered.

Jack returned the hug. “I love you, too, Bits.” He pulled away and hopped onto his bed, scooting back. “Get in here.”

Bitty climbed into the bed and Jack’s waiting arms, curling into his chest. Jack kissed the top of the smaller boy’s head and held him, strong and warm.

“Merry Christmas, Bittle,” he whispered.

Bitty smiled. “Merry Christmas, Jack.”

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise - the zimbits and the Christmas never end. I'm just too festive and too in love with these characters.


End file.
